Town officials raise the issue of the 'O' word

Thursday

Dec 27, 2007 at 12:01 AM

By CINDY DOW

By CINDY DOW

Associate Editor

LAKEVILLE — During a discussion of the difficulties facing the town in the upcoming fiscal year, Chairman of the Lakeville School Committee David Goodfellow questioned whether the Board of Selectmen had any ideas to cover the expected deficit. The selectmen noted that requests from town departments would have to be looked at, but they did not expect that every request would be met.

"I have to ask the question: after some readjusting of the budget requests, I don't think that it could be expected that we could make up that $1.4 million difference. Are there any thoughts from your board as to solutions for the remaining difference?" he asked.

Ms. Yeatts said that she subscribes to the same rationale that former Finance Committee member Martha Green believed, that the people of Lakeville would not vote for an override.

"I personally don't want to go after something that's going to fail," Ms. Yeatts said. "As Martha would say, I know that you're going to say that you don't want the children to suffer, but, they almost have to feel the pain. Something has to happen: someone has to be laid off, something has to close down — maybe the town offices would close down, maybe the library would close down, maybe the Senior Center would close down for a couple of days — and then, in the following year, if we haven't caught up"¦that's when the people recognize, everybody's been making do. Everybody makes do, so nobody out there sees the pain. Nothing's changed for them, so why are they going to vote for an override?"

Fairway Drive resident David Barach suggested that the issues should be advertised and the public should be educated about the financial situation the town is faced with. Mr. Maksy said that is why the board began the budget discussions earlier this year, to try to make people aware.

Ms. Yeatts brought up the last time a general override was passed in town, in 1993, when townspeople voted it down several times before finally passing it only when services in town were cut.

Mr. Goodfellow argued that, although Ms. Yeatts said she did not think that voters would pass an override, she was in the position to at least ask the question.

"After the vote, we will know what the opinions of the citizens of this town are," he said, "where we're not guessing, if we at least ask the question."

"And if it fails, when we go back and do all that stuff, they're going to say, 'Oh, here they come again, here they come again,'" Ms. Yeatts countered. "I don't know how my other two board members feel, but people are paying $3 for gas, people are having a hard time paying their heating bills"¦"

Mr. Goodfellow said the information would have to be put out to the public first, but the town finds itself in the same situation as homeowners do, having a hard time paying its bills.

"We have such a large increase in costs, with such a meager increase in revenues, that we find ourselves in the exact same position. Where I'm spending 40 percent more to fill my tank, the school is spending 40 percent more to fill its tank, the town is spending 40 percent more," Mr. Goodfellow said.

Mr. Barach offered two suggestions; the first was to find alternative sources for revenue, and the second was for a grassroots organization of local citizens organize to educate and advertise the need for additional funds so that people would know what kind of dire straits the town could be in if an override is not passed.

He noted that the town of Littleton allowed advertisements to be placed on its police cruisers and fire engines to bring in money, and while some towns might not appreciate such a move, he challenged officials to be creative in their approach to finding solutions.

Ms. Yeatts said she agreed with Mr. Barach that such activity would be needed for an override to have a chance to pass, which is one reason she was against trying, because she has not seen that happening.

"The reason that I'm skeptical about what you say, is because they have tried to get people involved," Ms. Yeatts said, commenting about school officials. "They even had a little ceremony, and they had food, and they had 'come with your children and get these awards,' and they had this whole thing to lure all the parents in, and they all came! The room was full! There was 100 people in the room, I would say. They got their awards, the parents did, they ate the food, and the minute we started talking about the budget, they all left. So, I would love to see what you could get together to do some education things like that, but I've just seen it."

Mr. Goodfellow cautioned that people should not think of an override as mismanagement on anyone's part, but simply as a response to increased costs the town has been